Key Points
The pharmacy chain CVS said this week that it will no longer sell many popular decongestants.Last month, an FDA panel said phenylephrine, the active ingredient in the drugs, has no effect.The ingredient is found in drugs such as Sudafed PE, Allegra, and DayQuil...
Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go.. . CVS this week said it is pulling many popular decongestants from its shelves after advisors to the Food and Drug Administration said the active ingredient simply does not work...
While CVS will still sell some drugs with phenylephrine Dayquil and Allegra contain it alongside other active ingredients a spokesperson told The Wall Street Journal that it is removing all items that contain it as the sole active ingredient..
The FDA has not asked pharmacies to remove the drugs, the Journal noted, but appears on track to ultimately remove phenylephrine from its list of approved medicines...
Leslie Hendeles, a consultant to the FDA, told Time magazine that it is because federal regulators have in the past only examined whether over-the-counter drugs are safe not whether they work...
